actual numbers, not estimates
Over its 11th weekend, Avatar dropped only 16 percent, and surpassed the $700 million mark: it got to, precisely, $706,560,068. That’s now more than a full $100 million beyond Titanic — unadjusted for inflation, of course. Still, even with the bloated ticket prices for 3D and IMAX, the small week-to-week drops for the film are a relative indication that audiences are continuing to love this movie, and are returning to it again and again, and are telling their friends to see it over and over, too. Worldwide, Avatar has now passed $2.5 billion — it’s actually earned almost three-quarters of that figure overseas.

Shutter Island held surprisingly strong over its second weekend, and could easily become Martin Scorsese’s biggest film ever. The Aviator’s $102 million cumulative total is well within reach for it already, and The Departed’s $132 million doesn’t seem out of range at all. It won’t be Leonardo DiCaprio’s biggest, however: he’ll always have Titanic under his belt.

Kevin Smith had his best opener ever — Zack and Miri Make a Porno and Clerks II are nearly tied at a little over $10 million for their debuts — and Porno’s $31.5 cumulative take will likely fall, too.

Arthouse releases enjoyed the best per-screen averages of the weekend, as usual: The Ghost Writer and A Prophet (Un Prophète) were neck-and-neck with $18,350 on each of 43 screens and $18,197/9 screens, respectively. The documentary The Art of the Steal was a distant third, at $13,006/3 screens, and Shutter Island way back at No. 4 at $7,548/3,003 venues.